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The Member We’ve Had Problems With
(James 3:3–12)
Introduction: I want to speak to you today about a member that we’ve had a lot of problems with.
Now before some self-righteous folks start pointing fingers, and before some with guilty consciences start hunkering down in their seats, let me just say that I’m talking about you … and I’m talking about me.
I’m talking about that member or, to clarify, that body part that James discusses and describes at length in James chapter 3. Notice James 3:5 where the writer said…
(James 3:5) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
As John MacArthur states…
The tongue is of great concern to James, being mentioned in every chapter of his letter (see 1:19, 26; 2:12; 3:5, 6 [twice], 8; 4:11; 5:12).
The main section in James’ epistle that deals with the tongue is here in chapter 3, particularly verses 1 thru 12.
In verses 1 and 2, we have already looked at how James deals with The Topic Of The Tongue in An Introductory Way in this chapter.
Now, in verses 3 thru 12, we are going to see how James deals with The Trouble Of The Tongue in An Illustrative Way in this chapter.
The tongue is indeed a member (and a part of our bodies and our lives) that we have all had a lot of problems with.
In fact, the language that James uses to form his central statement about the tongue in this section is exceedingly strong. He says…
(James 3:6) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
In his New Testament Word Studies, Marvin Vincent explains that…
A world of iniquity is an organism containing within itself all evil essence, which from it permeates the entire man.
James indicates that the little piece of saliva coated flesh in our mouths can be pure evil. And perhaps one of the clearest manifestations of the sinful use of the tongue (especially in the community of a local church) is gossip.
Dr. Mike Shannon, who is Chair of the Practical Ministries Department at Cincinnati Bible Seminary, said that…
Several years ago, Ann Landers printed in her column a poem that depicts Gossip speaking. Among other things, Gossip says, “I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves because I have no name and no face. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never quite the same. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses.” (From )
Someone else said that it is “The Snake That Poisons Everyone”…
It topples governments, wrecks marriages, ruins careers, destroys reputations, causes nightmares, spawns suspicion, and generates grief. Even its name hisses. It’s called gossip. Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary? If not, forget it.
(From – Quoted in the ‘First Christian,’ Fairfield, IL)
Perhaps you’ve heard the story that…
In one particular church they had a lady who was known to be the town gossip. She was always sticking her nose into other people’s business. One day she accused a new member of being an alcoholic because she had seen his truck in the parking lot in front of a bar. The new member said that he had simply parked there; but the gossip said that if his truck was parked in front of the bar, she knew he was up to no good inside. The new member, being a quiet sort of fellow, simply and silently walked away from the accusation. He didn’t try to talk her out of anything. He did, however, get a bit of revenge when later that evening he quietly parked his truck in front of the gossip’s house, walked home and left it there all night.
Let me say a quick word to those who may have been the victim of gossip or unfounded rumors by paraphrasing an old saying…
For those that love you and trust you, no explanation is necessary. And for those who don’t, no explanation will be satisfactory.
There are some cases when people talk about you where it doesn’t do any good to defend yourself. You’re going to have to trust and claim what Job said…
(Job 16:19) Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
In some cases, the misuse of the tongue seems to be a greater danger for women than for men because women generally have more to say than men. In his book, “Love For A Lifetime,” Dr. James Dobson said…
Research makes it clear that little girls are blessed with greater linguistic ability than little boys, and it remains a lifelong talent. Simply stated, she talks more than he. As an adult, she typically expresses her feelings and thoughts far better than her husband and is often irritated by his reticence (silence). God may have given her 50,000 words per day and her husband only 25,000. He comes home from work with 24,975 used up and merely grunts his way through the evening.
The apostle Paul was referring to young widows and young women when he said…
(1 Timothy 5:13) And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
A. T. Robertson said that the word “tattlers” is “an old word” that comes from a root meaning “to boil up, to throw up bubbles, like blowing soap bubbles.” When you blow soap bubbles, you make something big out of virtually nothing until it explodes. Robertson said that the word “busybodies” refers to those who are “busy about trifles to the neglect of important matters.” He said of “speaking things which they ought not” that it is conversation which is “not necessary … and, as a result, often harmful.”
Are you beginning to get an idea of what a troubling and problematical thing the tongue can be? If not, then listen and follow along as we study the word pictures and illustrations that James uses to describe the tongue.
As we begin in verses 3 and 4…
I. Let’s Consider The Power Of Direction In The Tongue
(James 3:3–4)
As John MacArthur said…
James uses two analogies to show the power of the tongue to control. … Like the bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a ship, the tongue has power to control the rest of us. It is a master control for the whole body, directing virtually every aspect of behavior.
A. James Points Us To The Bits And The Horses And The Idea Of Subjection
(James 3:3) Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
According to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, the “bit” (NT:5469 – chalinos) refers to the “bridle.” “The primitive bridle was simply a loop on the halter cord passed round the lower jaw of the horse.”
If you control the bridle, you control the animal. Similarly, as James asserts in verse 2, if you control the tongue, you control “the whole body.” The psalmist David said…
(Psalms 39:1) … I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
This arrangement of rope or leather straps was put over the head of an animal, especially a horse. And it was used to lead the animal, to hold the animal in check, to restrain the animal. James said that we use the bit or the bridle so that the animal will “obey us,” and with this we can “turn (or lead) their whole body.” The idea of subjection is seen in the word “obey.”
obey – Greek 3982. peitho, pi'-tho; a primary verb meaning to convince (by argument, true or false); by anal. to pacify or conciliate (by other fair means); reflex. or pass. to assent (to evidence or authority), to rely (by inward certainty):--agree, assure, believe, have confidence, be (wax) content, make friend, obey, persuade, trust, yield.
So we must ‘convince’ our mouth to say the right things or not to say anything. Now the reason that the bit in the horse’s mouth controls the horse is because the mouth is connected to the head and thus determines the direction of the animal. I know there are times when we probably speak before we think. But ordinarily, our words begin as thoughts. Jesus said…
(Luke 6:45) A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
Furthermore, we find in Proverbs 23:7 that as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he.” So when the thoughts come out of the heart, they go to the mouth and produce words that reveal what that person is really like. When we follow Paul’s example by…
(2 Corinthians 10:5) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
We will say the right things, because we are thinking the right things. We are pulling the bridle on carnal thoughts and contentious thoughts and covetous thoughts. Whenever you start to say something you shouldn’t say, pull the bridle of thought and say to yourself, “Whoa mind! Whoa mouth!”
B. James Points Us To The Boats And The Helms And The Idea Of Steering
(James 3:4) Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Albert Barnes wrote…
[Behold also the ships] This illustration is equally striking and obvious. A ship is a large object. It seems to be unmanageable by its vastness, and it is also impelled by driving storms. Yet it is easily managed by a small rudder; and he that has control of that, has control of the ship itself. So with the tongue. It is a small member as compared with the body; in its size not unlike the rudder as compared with the ship. Yet the proper control of the tongue in respect to its influence on the whole man, is not unlike the control of the rudder in its power over the ship.
[Which though they be so great] So great in themselves, and in comparison with the rudder. Even such bulky and unwieldy objects are controlled by a very small thing.
[And are driven of fierce winds] By winds that would seem to leave the ship beyond control. It is probable that by the “fierce winds” here as impelling the ship, the apostle meant to illustrate the power of the passions in impelling man. Even a man under impetuous passion would be restrained, if the tongue is properly controlled, as the ship driven by the winds is by the helm.
[Yet are they turned about with a very small helm] The ancient rudder or helm was made in the shape of an oar. This was very small when compared with the size of the vessel-about as small as the tongue is as compared with the body.
[Whithersoever the governor listeth] As the helmsman pleases. It is entirely under his control.
What is the application here? We might compare the size of the ship with the bigness of the issues of life. John MacArthur said…
The largest ships of that day were small compared to the gigantic ocean liners and warships of modern times. But the ship in which Paul traveled on his voyage to Rome had a total of 276 persons on board, including the crew, soldiers, and prisoners (Acts 27:37), indicating it was a fairly large vessel.
James said the ships may be “great” or large in size. He also said they “are driven of fierce winds,” which makes us mindful of the storms of life. Can I share a word with someone who may be carrying a lot of cargo and going through a storm? If that describes you, make sure you steer your thoughts and words in the right direction, lest some word spoken in anger, under stress bring you to a place of shipwreck. The Bible says…
(Proverbs 13:3) He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
Paul indicated that when our faith does not affect the direction of our life, we end up in shipwreck…
(1 Timothy 1:19) Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
If you are in a storm, and you say something that causes you to get crossways with the ebbing tides of life and people, it can make the storm worse. The Bible says…
(Proverbs 15:1) A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
II. Let’s Consider The Picture Of Danger In The Tongue
(James 3:5–8)
James continues using these word pictures to convey his message. But he is not the only one that has portrayed the tongue in such picturesque ways. The Bible says…
(Proverbs 18:21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
(Proverbs 12:18-19) There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. {19} The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
The English Standard Version of Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
(Proverbs 12:22) Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
(Proverbs 25:18) A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.
Again, the English Standard Version of Proverbs 25:18 says, “A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a war club, or a sword, or a sharp arrow.”
The tongue is such a dangerous thing that the psalmist David said…
(Psalms 141:3) Set a watch (guard), O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Here are the word pictures that James uses to describe how dangerous the tongue is…
A. The Tongue Is Seen In The Picture Of A Wicked Blaze
(James 3:5-6) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! {6} And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
You’ll notice in verse 5 that James says the tongue “boasteth great things.” This word “boasteth” means…
boasteth – Greek 3166. megalaucheo, meg-al-ow-kheh'-o; from a comp. of G3173 and aucheo (to boast; akin to G837 and G2744); to talk big, i.e. be grandiloquent (arrogant, egotistic):--boast great things.
MacArthur said of James that…
He obviously has in mind man’s natural inclination to boast, to be self-centered, and … to have a high self-image. Whenever and however the tongue boasts, it leaves a wake of destruction. It tears down others; it destroys churches, families, marriages, and personal relationships. … James is here calling attention to the great destructive power of hateful, false, heretical, or simply careless words.
John Calvin said…
He represents it as a small or little fire, to intimate that this smallness of the tongue will not be a hindrance that its power should not extend far and wide to do harm.
Albert Barnes explains…
[And setteth on fire the course of nature] The margin is “the wheel of nature.” The Greek word also trochos means “a wheel,” or anything made for revolving and running. Then it means the course run by a wheel; a circular course or circuit. The word rendered “nature” geneseoos, means “procreation, birth, nativity;” and therefore the phrase means, literally, the wheel of birth-that is, the wheel which is set in motion at birth, and which runs on through life.
And we are so anxious to teach those babies how to talk!
It doesn’t take but one spark to start a huge fire. Dr. Mike Shannon shared the following…
Newspapers, radio and TV carried the tragic, but comic, story of a man who was determined to finally get rid of a troublesome mouse. The man threw the stunned mouse on a pile of leaves he was burning. The mouse caught fire and ran back into the house. Lucian Mares watched helplessly as the mouse caused his entire house to go up in flames. The apostle James was certainly right when he talked about the tongue and described it as a fire. Even a small flame can cause a great fiery destruction. (James 3:5, 6)
The Bible has more to say using this analogy of words being like fire…
(Proverbs 26:21-23) As coals are to burning coals, and wood to fire; so is a contentious man to kindle strife. {22} The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. {23} Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
Adam Clarke said…
[Burning lips and a wicked heart] Splendid, shining, smooth lips; that is, lips which make great professions of friendship are like a vessel plated over with base metal to make it resemble silver; but it is only a vile pot, and even the outside is not pure.
That juicy tidbit of gossip may look appealing, and you may be drawn to it like a moth to the flame. But that shard of pottery beneath the silver dross exterior will cut you. Proverbs says that the “contentious man” wants the fires of strife to keep burning, and the way that it happens is through words. But the passage also says…
(Proverbs 26:20) Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
Don’t be fuel for the fire! As Smokey the Bear said, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires!” And to paraphrase, ‘Only you can put out church fires of gossip and rumors and discord and strife.’
Warren Wiersbe said…
In some churches, there are members or officers who cannot control their tongues, and the result is destruction. Let them move out of town or be replaced in office, and a beautiful spirit of harmony and love takes over.
B. The Tongue Is Seen In The Picture Of A Wild Beast
(James 3:7-8) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents (or creeping things; reptiles), and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: {8} But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Matthew Henry said it is…
As if the apostle had said, “Lions, and the most savage beasts, as well as horses and camels, and creatures of the greatest strength, have been tamed and governed by men: so have birds, notwithstanding their wildness and timorousness, and their wings to bear them up continually out of our reach: even serpents, notwithstanding all their venom and all their cunning, have been made familiar and harmless: and things in the sea have been taken by men, and made serviceable to them. And these creatures have not been subdued nor tamed by miracle only (as the lions crouched to Daniel, instead of devouring him, and ravens fed Elijah, and a whale carried Jonah through the depths of the sea to dry land), but what is here spoken of is something commonly done; not only hath been tamed, but is tamed of mankind. Yet the tongue is worse than these, and cannot be tamed by the power and art which serves to tame these things. No man can tame the tongue without supernatural grace and assistance.” The apostle does not intend to represent it as a thing impossible, but as a thing extremely difficult, which therefore will require great watchfulness, and pains, and prayer, to keep it in due order.
James indicates that the tongue may be wilder than anything in the animal kingdom; “an unruly evil,” in other words, something that is restless and unsettled and unrestrained, something that is both harmful and hateful, “full of poison” like the venomous viper.
I read about…
There’s this guy who shows up at a cabin where these hunters have gathered to hunt bear. Only he shows up without a gun. The other hunters were very curious. “How you gonna get a bear without a gun?” they ask. “Do you have a knife?” “No,” says the guy. “Do you have a club?” “No,” says the guy. “Don’t you worry. I’m gonna get myself a bear. Just wait right here and see.” The guy leaves the cabin and disappears into the hills for several hours. Eventually he happens upon a bear asleep in his den and he kicks the bear and gets it really angry. As the bear wakes up, he starts to chase after the guy, so the guy starts running back towards the cabin. Finally the hunters hear him running down the hill and yelling, “Open the cabin door! Open the door!” They open the door and the guy runs into the cabin and holds the door open behind him. To the terror of the other hunters, an angry bear follows close behind, running into the cabin, too. Then the guy slams the door shut, and says, “You skin that one. I’ll go get another.”
Hunting bears without a gun or weapon is like captivating the tongue without divine enablement.
Wiersbe said…
The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Your tongue need not be “set on fire of hell” (James 3:6). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God fights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). If the heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. But if the heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.
Illustration:
In the March/April 2004 issue of Preaching magazine, Dr. J. Michael Shannon shared the following…
In South Korea some people are getting operations on their tongue, but not for a true medical reason. They are getting the operations so that they can say their L and R sounds like an American. This ability is greatly prized in the business world is South Korea. The procedure involves snipping the thin tissue under the tongue, making it longer and nimbler. Some of us need an operation on our tongues and it has nothing to do with the L and R sound. Some of us need to let the Lord operate on our tongues so we will say only that which edifies, or even at times to say nothing at all.
Use your tongue to speak words that will exalt the Savior, encourage the saints, and evangelize the sinner. Bring every thought and thus, every word, into captivity to the obedience of Christ; let Christ tame your tongue! Let Him deal with that member that has caused so many problems.
Illustration:
In the September 28, 2009 edition of The Times Of India, the headline read, “Man chops off tongue, offers it to goddess.” The article said…
In a bizarre incident, a 35-year-old man, Ramveer Singh Baghel, cut his tongue and offered it to appease (a) goddess … at a temple in Meghaninagar on Sunday morning. Devotees, who found him bleeding profusely from his mouth, treated him like a deity and anointed his forehead instead of rushing him to the hospital. Surrounded by devotees, he had not received any medical attention till late evening on Sunday. Baghel too has chosen to stay in the temple.
I know that Jesus said to pluck out the offending eye and cut off the offending hand or foot (Matthew 5:29-30; Mark 9:43, 45). But I believe that His instruction has spiritual implications rather than literal, physical implications. I would never suggest or advocate the cutting off of one’s own tongue. But we should surrender our tongue and the capability of our lips and the impact of our words to the authority of God.
Why would the man in India do something so horrific as to cut off his own tongue? He must have been very conscious of the fact that this little member can be a huge problem.
Michael Duduit, who is editor of Preaching Magazine, said…
I saw an ad for a movie called “Snakes on a Plane.” I’ve got no need to go see it, because I’ve lived it — except that the version I experienced would more properly be called “Snakes in a Church.” I preach in a lot of churches, and so far I’ve never been to one where I stood up to preach and was handed a couple of rattlers—though that would sure make for a lively homiletic adventure. … However, the snakes I’ve encountered in church aren’t the belly-on-the-floor slithering kind; they are the kind who walk on two feet but still manage to speak with forked tongues. Some of them can spit venom every bit as destructive as the most deadly cobra. It’s the ones who smile and whisper ssssoft words to your face while they proceed to sink fangs into your back that make a lot of pastors consider going into the insurance business every Monday morning. (From the e-newsletter “Preaching Now” for 8-22-06)
In verses 3 and 4, James has shown us “The Power of Direction in the Tongue.”
In verses 5 thru 8, James has shown us “The Picture of Danger in the Tongue.”
Now…
III. Let’s Consider The Problem Of Duplicity (Double-Dealing) In The Tongue
(James 3:9–12)
I read that…
There is an ancient fable about a monster known as Proteus who had the power of assuming many shapes and appearances. He could become a tree or a pebble, a lion or a dove, a serpent or a lamb. He seemed to have little difficulty in passing from one form into another. That fabled creature reminds me of the human tongue. It can bless or curse; it can express praise or whisper slander; it can speak a word or encouragement or spread the poison of vindictive hatred (James 1:10, 11).
()
In order to describe the tongue, I am using the word “duplicity” which has the idea of deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech. It suggests the quality or state of being twofold or double. It implies that a ‘double-dealing’ is going on.
James has previously told us that…
(James 1:8) A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
And a double-tongued man is just as unstable. In explaining the duplicitous nature of the tongue, we…
A. Notice That James Points To The Indictment Of Corruption In Our Words
(James 3:9-10) Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. {10} Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Thomas Manton wrote…
Here he shows the good and bad use of the tongue; the good to bless God, the bad to curse men; and the absurdity of doing both with the same tongue. … The proper use of the tongue is to bless God. … The same tongue should not bless God and curse men, it is hypocrisy.
“Therewith” simply indicates that ‘with the tongue’ we bless God and curse men.
THE BLESSING
The Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says that the word “bless” (NT:2127 – eulogoumen, from eulogeo) from which we get our word ‘eulogy,’ means, “to praise (or) celebrate with praises.”
John MacArthur said…
Every believer should use his tongue to bless our Lord and Father, just as God desires and expects of those who belong to Him. The Jews to whom James wrote were accustomed to pronouncing blessings on God at the end of each of the eighteen eulogies, or benedictions, they prayed three times a day, saying, :Blessed be Thou, O God.”
Thomas Manton said…
If God give speech and abilities of utterance, he must have the glory; it is the rent we owe to him. This is the advantage we have above the creatures, that we can be distinct and explicit in his praises: Psalm 145:10, ‘All thy works, O Lord, shall praise thee, and thy saints shall bless thee.’ … God gave us these pipes and organs for that purpose; your breath cannot be better spent. Acts 2:4, when they spake with other tongues, they spake ‘the wonderful works of God.’ Well, then, go away and say, ‘I will bless the Lord continually; his praise shall be always in my mouth,’ Psalm 34:1.
THE CURSING
The February 1, 2008, issue of Crosswalk Preaching Daily e-newsletter said…
In a recent issue of The Wall Street Journal, Gene Veith (said) ‘Cursing’ is a type of prayer, one that calls down harm. … The moral problem lies not just in the words but in how they are used: to abuse others. This is the thrust of what the New Testament says on the subject. The tongue, said James … should be used to bless, not to hurt, our neighbor, who was, after all, made in the image of God.”
John Gill wrote that the word “curse” means to…
Make imprecations, and wish evils upon them: which are made after the similitude of God as man was originally, (Genesis 1:26, 27). And though sin has greatly defaced it, yet there are still some remains of it. And now, what an absurd and monstrous thing is this, that one and the same instrument should be used in blessing God, the Father of all creatures, and in cursing his children, his offering, as all men are by creation, and bear some resemblance to him.
Gill explains that blessing and cursing proceeding out of the same mouth…
Is not only a contradiction, but unnatural, as well as wicked and sinful.
THE REBUKE
(James 3:10) Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary says that James’ use of the word “brethren” in this verse is…
A mild appeal to their consciences by their brotherhood in Christ.
John MacArthur wrote…
James implores, ‘these things ought not to be this way.’ Ou chre (ought not) is a strong negative, used only here in the New Testament. The idea is that there should be no place in a Christian’s life for duplicitous speech. It is an unacceptable and intolerable compromise of righteous, holy living. When God transformed us, He gave us the capacity for new, redeemed, holy speech, and He expects us, as His children, to speak only that which holy and right.
B. Notice That James Points To The Illustrations Of Consistency In Our World
(James 3:11-12) Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? {12} Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
THERE IS CONSISTENCY IN THE FOUNTAIN
Warren Wiersbe wrote…
The fountain, of course, provides the cool water that man needs to stay alive. In Oriental countries, the presence of a freshwater fountain is a great blessing to a village. Man needs water not only for drinking, but also for washing, cooking, farming, and a host of other activities so necessary to life.
“The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook” (Proverbs 18:4). “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life” (Proverbs 10:11). “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death” (Proverbs 13:14). These verses parallel what James has written and underscore the importance of our words.
Water is life-giving, and our words can give life. However, if water is not controlled, it brings death and destruction. The famous Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of 1889 took 2,200 lives and destroyed $10 million in property. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21).
Consider these examples from God’s word of a defiled water source and how the defilement was dealt with…
(Exodus 15:23-25) And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. {24} And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? {25} And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
(2 Kings 2:19-21) And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is nought, and the ground barren. {20} And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him. {21} And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
The tree suggests the power of Christ’s cross, and the salt represents a divinely righteous element.
Warren Wiersbe goes on to write…
James issued a warning: a fountain cannot give forth two kinds of water, and a tree cannot bear two different kinds of fruit We expect the fountain to flow with sweet water at all times, and we expect the fig tree to bear figs and the olive tree to bear olives. Nature reproduces after its kind. If the tongue is inconsistent, there is something radically wrong with the heart. I heard about a professing Christian who got angry on the job and let loose with some oaths. Embarrassed, he turned to his partner and said, “I don’t know why I said that. It really isn’t in me.” His partner wisely replied, “It had to be in you or it couldn’t have come out of you.”
THERE IS CONSISTENCY IN THE FIG
Albert Barnes wrote…
[Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive-berries?] Such a thing is impossible in nature, and equally absurd in morals. A fig-tree bears only figs; and so the tongue ought to give utterance only to one class of sentiments and emotions. These illustrations are very striking, and show the absurdity of that which the apostle reproves. At the same time, they accomplish the main purpose which he had in view, to repress the desire of becoming public teachers without suitable qualifications. They show the power of the tongue; they show what a dangerous power it is for a man to wield who has not the proper qualifications; they show that no one should put himself in the position where he may wield this power without such a degree of tried prudence, wisdom, discretion, and piety, that there shall be a moral certainty that he will use it aright.
Alexander Maclaren said…
The assertion that ‘salt water cannot yield sweet’ implies that the ‘cursing’ destroys the reality of the verbal ‘blessing God.’ If a man says both, the imprecation is his genuine voice, and the other is mere wind. The fountain is deeper than the tongue. From the heart are the issues of life. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, and clear, pure waters will not well out thence unless the heart has been cleansed by Christ entering into it. Only when that tree of life is cast into the waters are they made sweet. When Christ governs us, we can govern our hearts and our lips, and through these our whole bodies and all their activities.
Wrong speech contaminates right speech.
Conclusion:
During my senior year of high school, I had a friend who gave his life to the Lord and got involved in a church in my home area. I wanted to encourage him in his faith, so I went to church with him one Sunday. It was a little different than what I was used to, but I still enjoyed it. I knew some others that went there from school. But I met the pastor for the first time. I also met the man who led the singing for the first time, but it would not be the last time that I saw him. After I graduated, I was able to work in a summer work program in the plant where my dad worked. One day as I was working, I saw the song leader from my friend’s church. He didn’t recognize me, but I recognized him immediately. But as I walked closer, I heard the conversation that he was having with the other men around him. And I heard him use language that was both inappropriate and inconsistent with his professed faith.
Obviously, I was disappointed by this dose of reality. But it was a lesson that I have never forgotten; a lesson that taught me the importance of being genuine in one’s faith, and a lesson that taught me how wicked the tongue can be.
This man was a church member and a church leader, but the real problem member was his tongue. And within each of our mouths is that same potential for problem. May we take heed to the warning of James … and to the words of Paul who said…
(Colossians 4:6) Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
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